masseffectfandomcom-20200222-history
Forum:Optimizing Monobook for site
I'm not sure how everyone else feels about the changes made to the default skin, but I don't like it. Instead of complaining, though, I wanted to fix up an alternative. We have one option right now: Wikia default skin or Monobook skin. Unfortunately, Monobook is not optimized for this wiki, so the coloring is very abrasive. I was wondering if anyone knew how to edit just the Monobook skin, so we can make it look decent and therefore provide a good alternative. Check out Starwars:Main Page and switch to Monobook skin in your preferences, for an example--their Monobook skin is perfectly optimized, is very different from the default (looks similar to the now-sorely-missed Monaco skin), and looks fantastic (it actually uses more than one-third of a computer monitor...). Currently, I visit Wookiepedia a lot more than the other wikis, so my skin is set to Monobook--which means every wiki I view is set to Monobook, and since most wikis don't have Monobook optimized, it looks silly (switch over to Monobook to see what I mean). So, if anyone has the ability to edit the Monobook skin, or if anyone can direct me to where I can find information on editing the Monobook skin so I can do it myself (if that's possible), let me know, because I much prefer Monobook over this new junk. All I really want to do is fix the bright white background to the standard blue we use for the default skin, so we can all view pages on Monobook without straining our eyes and getting headaches, as well making the site look nice. Ramikadyc 22:16, November 6, 2010 (UTC) :Monobook might seem to offer some advantages if you just take a quick peek at it, but honestly, in terms of interface and all that, it actually seems to be a step down from even the "New Look". Any change from the New Look to Monaco as the site default would have to be discussed by the community, but I can't really see voting in favor of it, personally. As for the other bit, I have no experience editing Monobook, so I couldn't be of much help. Sorry... SpartHawg948 01:45, November 7, 2010 (UTC) **Don't get me wrong: I'm not suggesting that Monobook be the site default at all. It's already an alternative, but in its current state it's a poorly implemented one. I'm only suggesting we fix Monobook on a very basic level for browsing purposes by anyone who would prefer not to use the new look (since the vast majority of people I've spoken to dislike the new look very much). For browsing use, Monobook is perfectly fine, and many people at the Wookiepedia community prefer it, as do I. Check out WowWiki:Main Page and compare the new look on their site to the new look on ours--it's much better there, for reasons that are out of our hands to fix. That's what Monobook offers as a browsing experience for many, and while everyone has their own opinions and personal preferences regarding the skins, I only want to see that experience be optimized so that it's a good alternative for those who prefer it. Ramikadyc 04:03, November 7, 2010 (UTC) **Update: I've found the information I need to specifically edit the Monobook skin, however I believe the ability to do so is not one of my privileges. The page that I believe needs to be edited (which is uniquely present on all wikis) is the MediaWiki:Monobook.css, however it says this page has been deleted, and either I'm incorrectly trying to restore the page and modify it, or I do not have permission to do so. For reference, herehttp://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/MediaWiki%3AMonobook.css is Wookiepedia's Monobook.css page (which is what needs to be edited to design the Monobook layout). I was first going to copy Wookiepedia's code and place it on our page, to see what the results would be. Next, I was going to go back and match any background colors and text colors to correspond with the colors on the normal skin, for consistency, as well as remove any code that was irrelevant to Mass Effect. To me, this sounds like it would work in theory, but since I'm unable to make these modifications--either because of my ignorance to do so or because of my privileges--I cannot confirm this would work. If anyone has free time and feels like looking into this issue, or if anyone has any other information for me on this subject, I'd greatly appreciate it and your input, as I'm sure anyone who wants to get away from the new look with an old-but-handsome skin would. EDIT: I've verified with another Wikia user more familiar with this issue than me and he has confirmed that this is indeed the correct process to modify the Monobook skin site-wide. Any staff or administrator willing to look into this issue--assuming people at those levels have priviliges to do so--would be a very awesome person, or if anyone can let me know if there is another way to go about getting this done, that information would also be invaluable. Thanks. Ramikadyc 11:10, November 7, 2010 (UTC) ::You lack the necessary permissions. Only administrators can edit the MediaWiki namespace. If you'd like to try out your modifications for just yourself though, you should be able to edit to achieve the same result. (This page affects only you) Once you're satisfied with your changes, I'm sure an administrator would be happy to apply them site-wide. Don't quote me on that, though! -- Dammej (talk) 18:28, November 7, 2010 (UTC) :::Thank you for your input. Once I realized I didn't have the permissions to make a site-wide edit, I asked around and found out exactly that. I just applied the changes to my own Monobook.css and it definitely works well, however I need to do some more reading to figure out exactly which variables I need to change in order to fix the white background on the templates with the text (for lack of a better term)--which is separate from the background (see Wookiepedia again for the distinction I'm trying to make--blue image background I added, but the white frames which hold the text and other info I have not been able to figure out yet). Once I have more time, I'll figure out how to modify these details, and I'll submit the modifications I'm aiming to make here for you all to see if you have any problems or suggestions regarding it, then I'll see about contacting an administrator to implement any changes we agree upon. Ramikadyc 23:18, November 7, 2010 (UTC)